Some thoughts

[Tormentius]

Hi everyone, so I’ve been struggling with this for a while but I believe that I am going to limit my comments on this forum and in dealing with Space Weather.

As some of you know, I’ve suffered from anxiety in regards to Space weather and have been struggling with it a great deal. And no matter how hard I try, I find myself unable to shake it.

My main problem is that when I try to do research on the subject, I find inconsistent information. One side that says we’re ready another that says we’re not and I don’t know who to believe.

Even Tamitha Skov, who many have recommended to me and who I do respect for her knowledge and following, I find inconsistent. 
In one video, she says that the Carrington Event has been overblown and that we’ve learned how to mitigate them. Then in the next lesson, she says that we’re not ready and her solution is something that in my opinion is a pie in the sky solution of millions being informed and lowering the power load.

And yet others say that there’s nothing the public can do and that we’ve learned enough to handle it. I personally can’t take it and every time there’s a rise in activity, I feel a rush in anxiety and it’s seriously affected my ability to enjoy life.

So with all of this in mind I feel that the only solution is to distance myself from the subject. I wish I could get over this and enjoy the subject but I have failed to do so this far. So I feel that I can’t continue to participate in this regularly 

[David Silver]

There is nothing to be afraid of. The chances of a major space event causing significant effects on Earth are tiny. NASA and some of the most brilliant people on Earth are studying the sun, solar cycles, the galactic current sheet, developing asteroid deflection, and generally working to protect life on Earth. If you are not one of the 10-15% of people who experience regular (daily) physical ailments due to Meteosensitivity, you should stop thinking about this topic entirely. I don’t mean to diminish your experience of anxiety, maladaptive daydreaming, or intrusive worry, but these are mental health issues that can be handled by your medical professionals. Reconnect with nature, breathe fresh air, be grateful for your life on Earth while it lasts. 

[Sunshine]

I also like to point out, that there is really nothing to be afraid of. We have learned from the Carrington event, and other extreme geomagnetic storms which in the more distant past still have been able to short out large parts of the power network of a country (Canada being the last, to my knowledge). Since this has been very costly for the operators of such infrastructure, they have invested into mitigations now, meaning even if we encounter such a strong geomagnetic storm again, all that happens may be a few minutes power outage, before everything comes back online again in a controlled way.
There really is nothing to worry about.
I'm personally more worried about the people than anything outside of our planet.

[David Silver]

This episode of PBS Terra provides more detailed and accurate information about the grid preparedness.

PBS Terra

[Isatsuki San]

9 hours ago, Sunshine said:

También me gusta señalar que realmente no hay nada que temer. Hemos aprendido del evento de Carrington y otras tormentas geomagnéticas extremas que en el pasado más lejano aún han podido provocar un cortocircuito en gran parte de la red eléctrica de un país (Canadá es la última, que yo sepa). Dado que esto ha sido muy costoso para los operadores de dicha infraestructura, han invertido en mitigaciones ahora, lo que significa que incluso si nos encontramos con una tormenta geomagnética tan fuerte nuevamente, todo lo que sucede puede ser un corte de energía de unos minutos, antes de que todo vuelva a estar en línea en una manera controlada.
Realmente no hay nada de qué preocuparse.
Personalmente, estoy más preocupado por la gente que por cualquier cosa fuera de nuestro planeta.

The Quebec event was 2 times less than the Carrington event, says some experts and the blackout lasted only 12 hours, and now you know how you know how to solve those errors

And I can say that I also have that anxiety, but more because of dreams, so I had a dream where I was calm and suddenly everything went black, so every time there is a geomagnetic storm I am watched, and attentive for that dream and sometimes that in my fear created by the same dream

[Marcel de Bont]

Unfortunately, there are creators online who have a double agenda whenever they make content, whether it be a about space weather or something else. Some just want to grow their audience and exaggerating things can accomplish that. Profit or urging to get funding be it for research or just own winnings can also be a reason. Bringing news or anything else in a sensational way or exaggerating way will get more eye balls on you and thus more of the above. You should always keep this in mind the next time you are watching a dodgy YouTube video. I do not say you should just stick to creators with a solid track record but always keep your critical  thinking hat on no matter where you are online. Space weather is a beautiful thing, and it can pose risks to some of our infrastructure but 99% of it is being overblown and exaggerated. You, here with both of your feet on planet Earth have nothing to worry about. Live your life without any worries. Everything will work out just fine, even if we get an earth-directed X20 solar flare.

[Philalethes]

21 hours ago, Tormentius said:

Hi everyone, so I’ve been struggling with this for a while but I believe that I am going to limit my comments on this forum and in dealing with Space Weather.

As some of you know, I’ve suffered from anxiety in regards to Space weather and have been struggling with it a great deal. And no matter how hard I try, I find myself unable to shake it.

My main problem is that when I try to do research on the subject, I find inconsistent information. One side that says we’re ready another that says we’re not and I don’t know who to believe.

Even Tamitha Skov, who many have recommended to me and who I do respect for her knowledge and following, I find inconsistent. 
In one video, she says that the Carrington Event has been overblown and that we’ve learned how to mitigate them. Then in the next lesson, she says that we’re not ready and her solution is something that in my opinion is a pie in the sky solution of millions being informed and lowering the power load.

And yet others say that there’s nothing the public can do and that we’ve learned enough to handle it. I personally can’t take it and every time there’s a rise in activity, I feel a rush in anxiety and it’s seriously affected my ability to enjoy life.

So with all of this in mind I feel that the only solution is to distance myself from the subject. I wish I could get over this and enjoy the subject but I have failed to do so this far. So I feel that I can’t continue to participate in this regularly 

Why not distance yourself only from the unscientific catastrophism and the people peddling it, and instead keep studying the actual scientific findings? Sounds like a much better idea to me.

[Christopher S.]

22 hours ago, Tormentius said:

One side that says we’re ready another that says we’re not

In general, it is best to assume in this exact situation that the side inciting fear by way of alarmist narratives does not have a complete picture of the science needed to even comment on preparedness, let alone the nature of possible threats. If you believe any of us to the same extent you believe some random schmuck on the internet posting clickbait articles or videos, then I think it is fair to say that you have issues extending beyond conflicting information about Space Weather - the regulars here have made repeated attempts to re-educate you on Space Weather and yet it doesn't seem to hold.

If you treat Science as a sensational item of distraction, it's not science at all. Moreover, your own comments on Space Weather are not what drives your anxiety, going off of the comment here; it's the conflicting information. Really, I suggest developing your BS detector and realize how this is the lazy solution to the problem.

[Tormentius]

12 minutes ago, Christopher S. said:

In general, it is best to assume in this exact situation that the side inciting fear by way of alarmist narratives does not have a complete picture of the science needed to even comment on preparedness, let alone the nature of possible threats. If you believe any of us to the same extent you believe some random schmuck on the internet posting clickbait articles or videos, then I think it is fair to say that you have issues extending beyond conflicting information about Space Weather - the regulars here have made repeated attempts to re-educate you on Space Weather and yet it doesn't seem to hold.

If you treat Science as a sensational item of distraction, it's not science at all. Moreover, your own comments on Space Weather are not what drives your anxiety, going off of the comment here; it's the conflicting information. Really, I suggest developing your BS detector and realize how this is the lazy solution to the problem.

I suppose you’re right. To clarify, I don’t fall for clickbait articles on the internet. I once did but I’m past that. What has affected me the most is some scientists in the field who I’ve found to make inconsistent statements.

But you’re right that this is the lazy way out and I need to work on weeding the issues out. And I also realize that I do have some measure of anxiety that centers on destructive events and has stubbornly clung on.

Thanks for the honest advice 

[Christopher S.]

Just now, Tormentius said:

I also realize that I do have some measure of anxiety that centers on destructive events and has stubbornly clung on.

I feel that I have that too. I channel that energy to motivate me to check the data I study every day and it has not failed me in the 6 years I've independently studied. While it might not be productive to outright delete that energy from your day-to-day, it may be useful as a supplement to underlying curiosity, and you'll kick yourself for not following the weather closely enough rather than even begin to become fearful. These things have been going on for billions upon billions of years, so suddenly channeling fear into the input of information will do absolutely nothing for how you interpret the data. The more you absorb raw data, the less credible every fearmongering narrative becomes, at least in my experience. Data never lies, but interpretations obviously do.